Information Technology Research (ITR): ITR/ANIR 100 MB/SEC for 100 Million Households

Fraser Research Inc. A Not For Profit Corporation, Bernardsville NJ

Investigators

Abstract

A national glass fiber network to serve 100 million households with two-way symmetric data communications service at 100 Mb/sec per household will inevitably be constructed during the next few years. The barriers to the creation of such a network are not simply questions of deployment issues or the cost of the network. Rather, fundamental innovations will be required in the way networks are organized and managed. The project uses a three pronged approach to investigate the possibilities and technical consequences of this once-in-a-century event.: (1) a holistic network architecture designed from first principles, (2) interdisciplinary fundamental research that addresses the design of an economical, robust, secure and scalable 100x100 network, and (3) proof-of-concept network implementations to demonstrate how the network of the future can be built. The results from the project will take several forms. First, the blueprint for the 100x100 network will offer a coherent intellectual framework on how the next generation network could be built. The resulting architecture and design can serve as a compass to guide investment in network development, and will be disseminated to government and industry through presentations and partnerships. Second, in preparing the 100x100 blueprint, fundamental research advances will be made in security, economics, protocol design, switch architecture, and network management. These will be disseminated through the research community. Third, the physical testbeds created through the project can be used as a platform for further studies, for example, the development of applications demanding high bandwidth or social science research on the impact of connectivity in the home. Forth, the software and tools used to design and validate the 100x100 network, particularly the emulation systems, will be used to create new curricula for network education for two- and four-year colleges.